AJMMI: Social Justice Fund Grant

Funder: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice

The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute's Social Justice Fund Grant supports grassroots activist projects in the U.S. and abroad, focusing on those with limited funding access. Prioritizing efforts to dismantle systemic injustices, the grant seeks proposals from organizations lacking mainstream support, especially those addressing issues like immigration violence, racial inequalities, and economic exploitation. The fund emphasizes direct activism and diverse leadership, making it a vital resource for community-driven initiatives in the pursuit of social justice.

NOTE: Due to administrative challenges, until further notice, the Muste Institute is only funding organizations and projects that are based in the United States.
Our Social Justice Fund (SJF)
The Institute’s primary grantmaking program funds grassroots activist projects in the US and around the world, prioritizing those with small budgets and little access to mainstream funding . A rotating council of current and past board members, with volunteers from our SJF grantee community, screens applications. They bring a wide range of organizing experience and diverse political perspectives to the process.
Our Social Justice Fund makes grants for grassroots activist projects in the US, giving priority to those with small budgets and little access to more mainstream funding sources. We are especially interested in funding efforts to:

• end the violence of borders and the criminalization of immigrants, shut down CBP and ICE
• abolish prisons and dismantle and redefine systems of policing and criminal justice
• confront institutionalized violence against racial, ethnic, gender-based, and LGBTQ communities
• put an end to economic exploitation, class stratification, systemic poverty
• stop the war machine, end state sponsored terrorism, expose the dangers of nuclear power
• The Social Justice Fund's priority is to support:
• direct grassroots activism and organizing
• groups with diverse, representative and democratic leadership structures
• groups that need additional support to carry out a project or build capacity

Eligibility

We seek proposals:from groups with limited access to more mainstream funding sources
from groups which have not received Social Justice Fund grants in at least two years
from groups with or without 501(c)3 status or a fiscal sponsor: the Social Justice Fund only requires a fiscal sponsor if the group receiving the grant does not have its own bank account. If you cannot receive a grant check made out to the name of your organization, you will need a fiscal sponsor.
For Projects Support: Projects expense budgets under $50,000 and organizational budgets of under 500,000 annually
For General Operation Support: organizational budgets of $500,000 or less annually

Ineligibility

Although we value the work, we do NOT consider grant proposals for the following:individual efforts or scholarships
schools or universities academic or research projects
organizations with regular access to government, corporate or mainstream charitable funding
art, theater, film or video projects that are not directly tied to activism or organizing
lobbying or electoral campaigns
projects geared toward participants personal improvement or business success
conflict resolution or violence reduction projects, unless they directly promote activism
projects that will have already taken place by the time the grant is received